10 | National News POLITICAL PARTIES | Risk of de-registration for failure to include special interest groups Bill to safeguard minority rights Proposed law demands parties publish amount spent on women, the disabled and the youth BY JOHN NGIRACHU @JohnNgirachu jngirachu@ke.nationmedia.com and women within their ranks if a new Bill is passed into law. The Bill in the National Assem- P bly further demands that parties publish in their financial statements the amount allocated and spent on women, persons with disabilities, youth, minorities and marginalised communities. This will be monitored by the National Gender and Equality Commission, whose role has been enhanced in the Bill published by Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Samuel Chepkong’a. Arusha court to hear case by Kenyans BY NATION REPORTER An Arusha-based court is to begin hearing a case lodged by 10 Kenyans who were accused of murder and robbery in Tanzania. The Kenyans were arrested in Mozambique and transferred to Tanzania nine years ago over a robbery that occurred in Arusha. The case will come up before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Thursday. A statement from the court said it would be heard for one day. In the application, the appellants allege that they were lawfully in Mozambique for business on January 16, 2006 when they were kidnapped and put on a military plane bound for Tanzania, where they have been incarcerated since. Charged with murder They were charged with murder and three counts of armed robbery. The court will also hear another application made by Mr Mohammed Abubakari, a Tanzanian, who is challenging his sentencing for 30 years in jail for two counts of armed robbery. The application will be heard on Friday. Meanwhile, the court is sched- uled to hold its 37th ordinary session from today to June 5 at its seat in Arusha. The session will be preceded by a pilot training of 20 East African senior editors and journalists on the court’s work. The training is jointly organised by the court and the German International Development Agency. The journalists will later be deployed to cover the two public hearings. Judges will also consider and adopt the court’s mid-term report to be submitted to the 25th African Union Summit in June. State has no stake in NHIF, say nurses BY NATION CORRESPONDENT The Kenya National Union of Nurses wants the national government to surrender management of the National Hospital Insurance fund to workers since it has no share in the kitty. Speaking in Kitale yesterday, the union’s Secretary-General Seth Panyako said it was ironic for the government to manage the health fund yet it does not give out its equal share of contribution for each subscriber as required. “What business does the govern- ment have in managing funds on behalf of the Kenyan worker yet it does not give its share of contributions to the kitty? Let workers manage the kitty on their own,” said Mr Panyako. He said workers would no longer allow the government to control their contributions and use them in election campaigns. “The government should not de- pend on workers’ NHIF remittances to accumulate funds to finance its 2017 re-election bid at the expense of the contributors’ health,” he said. ‘Shambolic’ Bill Mr Panyako also dismissed the Health Bill, currently in the National Assembly, terming it shambolic and a “mini-constitution” in itself. “It’s shameful for the AG and the Cabinet to submit this Bill to the National Assembly, yet they were aware that it was not drafted as required. The nursing fraternity does not accept this shambolic Bill,” he said. The union also called for the crea- tion of a national agency to deal with the hiring, transfer and payment of nurses, saying county governments had failed in this regard. “Let county governments only deal with establishment of health facilities and hiring of support staff. They have failed to deal with the affairs of nurses and even the buying of drugs.” The unionist also raised the alarm over alleged threats made to the union’s Trans Nzoia branch officials led by the secretary, Mr Timothy Wamukota. “Let the police and the county gov- ernment ensure that those threatened are guaranteed maximum security. “They are being targeted for fight- ing corruption and other injustices,” said the union boss. TRANS NZOIA Agency accuses police of sleeping on the job The State-funded human rights lobby has accused the government of not doing enough to secure citizens. Kenya National Human Rights commissioner Suzanne Chivusia said the government’s response to cases of banditry in the North Rift is ineffective. Speaking in Kitale, she said failure to increase the number of police officers in the region and the continued attacks on communities despite assurances of security showed the government is not serious. PHOTO | PSCU First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, her Chief of Staff Connie Gakonyo and Brookhouse School director John O’Connor, during the institution’s Annual Presentation Afternoon, where students received various awards. A legislator wants a law that stipulates that no gender should be more than two-thirds of elected leaders removed from the Constitution, saying that it serves no purpose. Funyula MP Paul Otuoma said leaders should be elected so that they can represent voters. “If we are going to nominate someone, it should be on the basis of the value they add, not just because the Constitution says so,” he said. Dr Otuoma said nominations do not necessarily represent the interests of women. He said those previously nominated have not achieved much. olitical parties may be de-registered for lack of representatives from special interest groups WHAT THE LAW SAYS Proposed rules before House Bill published by Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Samuel Chepkong’a (right) proposes to amend the Elections Act so that parties are compelled to submit their lists with signed minutes of all members present during nominations. Parties publish in their financial statements the amount allocated and spent on women, persons with disabilities, youth, minorities and marginalised communities. “The Bill seeks to make amend- ments to the existing laws in order to give effect to Article 100 of the Constitution,” Mr Chepkong’a says in the proposed law. It proposes to amend the Elections Act so that parties are compelled to submit their lists with signed minutes of all members present during nominations. This is meant to ensure that the nominations are free and fair. Members of the special interest groups would also be given adequate security during election campaigns. Mr Chepkong’a published the Bill along with another amending the Constitution to shelve the five years’ deadline to implement the requirement that not more than two-thirds of elective positions be held by the same gender. According to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, this Bill is important in fulfilling the requirement on the representation of women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic and other minorities and marginalised communities. CROWNING MOMENT |Who’s on the awards list? “People should look at what it is he has proposed in that law. Women are jumping the gun because they want nominations very quickly,” he said. At the same time, women MPs are proposing the creation of special seats to be filled after the election to ensure that no more than two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly are of one gender. The number of seats would vary depending on the number of women elected in the individual constituencies and would go up to 104 if none is elected in the constituencies or appointed. There are only the 47 Woman Representatives. Their proposals are contained in a Bill to amend the Constitution that was submitted to the Speaker of the National Assembly for scrutiny. It has the support of the Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association (Kewopa) and is sponsored by its chairman, Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire. Mr Muturi told the Nation he has looked at the Bill. “I approved to go the Budget and Appropriations Committee their proposals. DAILY NATION Monday May 18, 2015 BRIEFLY NAIROBI Kemri nurses to go on strike over arrears Clinical officers and nurses attached to Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) will go on strike today if their outstanding salary arrears are not paid. Kenya Union of Clinical Officers chairman Erick Ondieki said the workers will team up with their colleagues countrywide to paralyse the institute and its affiliates. The institute has retrenched 488 health workers-including the health workers due to a cash crisis. Kemri last week insisted it had paid the workers. THARAKA NITHI Widow detained in hospital over bill A hospital has detained a widow for seven months for failing to pay a Sh200, 000 bill. Ms Lucy Ndegi,38, has been held at Chogoria Mission Hospital in Tharaka Nithi County for the last seven months after failing to pay the amount that has now accumulated. In November 2014, when she was discharged, the bill was Sh30,000 but she could not raise the amount. Her daughter volunteered to work without pay to clear the bill but the request was denied. BUSIA Otuoma wants special women seats scrapped